Door operation and control



M. E. KARP DOOR OPERATION AND CONTROL Jan. 21, 1958 5 Sheets-Shet 1 Original Filed Sept. 12, 1952 INVENTUR.

MARTIN E. KARP ATTORNY Jan. 21, 1958' M. E. KARP 2,820,627

DOOR OPERATION AND CONTROL Original Filed Sept. 12, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

MARTIN E KARP ATfoRNEY Jan. 21, 1958 M. E. KARP 2,820,627

DOOR OPERATION AND CONTROL Original Filed Sept. 12, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 102 105 X" D w a 77 72v 3 104 106 73 INVETOR.

MART/N E. KA RP l vm A T TORNEY Jan. 21, 1958 M. E. KARP DOOR OPERATION AND CONTROL Original Filed Sept. 12. 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVEN TOR. MARTIN E KARP ATTORNEY Jan. 21, 1958 M. E. KARP DOOR OPERATION AND CONTROL Original Filed Sept. 12, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 l N/NET) RIGHT FO/PTY- FIVE NEUTRAL 7'0 lo R/GLHT T0 LEFT INVENTOR. MARTIN E. KARP ATTORNEY United States Patent DOOR OPERATION AND CONTROL Martin E. Karp, Norwalk, Conu., assignor to National Pneumatic Co., Inc., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Serial No. 309,266, September 12, 1952. This application March 30, 1953, Serial No. 345,401

21 Claims. (Cl. 268-63) The present invention relates to apparatus for opening and closing doors, particularly doors of a public conveyance such as a bus or trolley, and to a control system therefor.

In almost all door operating systems in commercial use today, and particularly in cases where rapid door opening and closing is required, as in public conveyances where minimization of loading and unloading time is an important factor in maintaining proper schedules, pneumatic engines are employed to move the doors. Numerous proposals have been made for operating the doors directly by electric motors. The advantages of such systems over pneumatic systems have long been recognizedin particular, the mechanism is simpler, less liable to get out of adjustment, and no pumps or tanks for producing and holding fluid under pressure are required. However, despite these obvious advantages, no truly satisfactory all-electric system has been produced. Difficulties have arisen in controlling the speed of operation of the motor so that the doors, when opened and closed, will have the desired operating characteristics. For example, it is usually required that the doors should open rapidly but that they should close at a slower speed. In order to prevent the door from slamming into its stop when it is opened, means must be provided for slowing down the movement of the door when it is close to its fully open position. In general, the electrical connections necessary to produce these characteristics, insofar as motor control in general is concerned, have long been known. However, to produce a unit which will perform the desired operations automatically and dependably has been another matter entirely.

A further practical requirement calling for increased complexity of controls has revolved about the use of a braking mechanism which will hold the doors open or closed when the motorman, conductor or other responsible ofiicial desires that they should be in that position. Obviously, accidental opening of the door of a crowded bus while the vehicle is in motion would be exceedingly dangerous. Not quite so obvious, but almost as important, is the fact that the doors must be positively held against opening so that an individual bent upon self-destruction or mayhem cannot open the door in an unauthorized manner. The approach which the industry has taken in the past has largely revolved about the development in the motor of a holding torque when the doors are open or closed, this torque acting in opposition to any effort to move the doors. The development of such torque involves the use of an appreciable amount of power, and consequently constitutes a constant drain upon the electrical system. In addition, to energize a motor the armature of which is locked is to greatly reduce the life of that motor.

Braking mechanisms have been employed in systems of the type under discussion. They have in general involve-d the use of a magnetizable brake disk rotatable with the motor shaft and axially slidable therealong, in

.gonjunction with an eiectroinagnet which, when encr- "ice gized, pulls the brake disk into braked position. Careful machining of the motor shaft is required for this mode of operation. The present invention greatly simplifies this subsidiary problem by mounting the brake shaft on the motor shaft, the shaft and the brake disk axially moving together when the brake is energized. The shaft is normally held in unbraked condition by means of a resilient member acted thereupon, which may take the form of the leaf spring which is normally active on the conventional bearing of the motor shaft. In this way proper braking action is achieved without utilizing any additional parts and at the same time reducing the expense involved in the careful machining of the motor shaft.

The system of the present invention, insofar as control of a single door is concerned, revolves about the energization of the driving motor only during those periods of time when the door is actually to be moved. When the door is fully open, or when the door is fully closed, the motor'is automatically deenergized. The door is held in open or closed position by means of an electromagnetically energized brake, preferably of the type described in the preceding paragraph, the control system being so arranged that the brake is energized only when the door is fully in the position to which the manual control switch actuated by the motorman is set. Thus, when the switch is set to close the door, the brake will be energized and the motor will be de-energized when the door is closed. For any other position of the door the brake will be deenergized and the motor will be energized in such a way as to move the door to fully closed position. Similarly, when the control switch is set to open the door, the brake will be energized and the motor will be de-energized whenever the door is fully open, and for all other positions of the door the brake will be de-energized and the motor will be energized in such a way as to move the door to open position. Since the power consumption of the brake is only a very small fraction of the power consumption which would be involved in developing a holding torque in the motor, and since the doors will actually be moved between their open and closed positions only for a very small proportion of the time during which the vehicle is in operation, the saving in power consumption in accordance with the system of the present invention will be apparent. In addition, the life of the motor will be greatly extended and its susceptibility to breakdown will be correspondingly decreased.

These objectives are accomplished by utilizing a pair of manually actuated control switches so interlocked that one is open when the other is closed, these switches functioning in conjunction with a plurality of simple and positively operated door-position-sensitive switches appropriately connected in the control circuit. In a preferred form of this invention, the motor and the door-position sensitive switches are contained within a single unit which also includes the brake, that unit being mountable and dem-ountable as such on the vehicle, and preferably in close proximity to the door which it is to operate. In the case of doors formed in two sections, each swingable about a vertical pivot shaft, as is common in surface transportation vehicles, the output shaft of the motor unit is preferably located midway between said vertical pivot shafts and connected to the door sections by an appropriate simple linkage, so that rotation of the motor shaft in one direction or the other will cause the doors to open or close.

Means are provided for slowing down the operation of the motor when it is rotating in a direction to open the doors and when the doors are close to their fully open position, in order to cushion the last part of their opening movement. For this purpose a door-positionsensitive switch is employed, mounted on the motor unit in the same manner as the other switches of that type. independentmeans'isprovided for reducing the speed of the fnfitb'l when if rotates in" 2'. direction to C1083 the doors. The circuit connections are such that no special switch. is required to thus condition the motor, the closing speed-reducing means being opera'tively connected into the control circuit whenever the connections for the hiotorare suchthat'itwill" rotate" in a door closin'g direction.

I In mostpublic" conveyances, particularly of the surface transportation type, two doors are provided, one at the front and one toward the rear of the vehicle. It is necessary that the operator shouldhave control over the doors so as to be} able to open and' close either or both, as desired. This; has ordinarily been thought-to add" great compleidty to the electrical control system. However, according to' the present invention a' simple manually actuated switch is provided which may be thrown in one direction or the. other to openv either the front or the rear door, and which maybe thrown. in either direction to a greater degree to open both doors. In addition, this switch is so related. to the individual control systems for the doors that no added compl exity isrequired in those control systems. Each door may have exactly the same control system as it would have if it were the only door to be operated by the switch. n a

To the accomplishment of the above and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the apparatus and system for door operation andcontrol,- as defined in: the appended claims and a'sdescribed in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings in which; I

I Fig. l is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuits involved in the control of one of the doors;

Figs. 2 and 3 are top planand side elevational views of asingle door-operating unit, including motor, brake, transmission and control switches, each of" the views be ing partly broken away and cross sectioned in order to illustrate the details thereof;

Figs. 4 and 5 are opposite end elevational views of the unit of Fig. 2', Fig 4 being. taken from the left hand side of Fig. 2 and Fig. 5- being taken from the right hand side thereof;

Figs. 6 and 7 are top plan schematic views of the door operating linkage in cases where the doors are formed of two swingable sections, Fig. 6 showing the doors and linkage in fully closed position and Fig. 7 showing them in fully open position.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view, partially broken away and cross sectioned of the master control switch for selective operation of front and rear doors;

Fig. 9 is a top plan: view thereof, also partially broken away.

Fig. 10 is a perspective schematic view thereof illustrating the connections to the various doors; and

Fig;v 11 is an idealized diagram illustrating the various connections used in the several operative positions of the master control switch.

This application is a continuation of my recently filed application Ser. No. 309,266 of September 12, 1952, now abandoned, entitled Door Operation and Control, and assigned to the assignee of the instant application.

The electric motor and control unit generally designated 50 and illustrated in Figs. 2-5 isv in two parts 51 and-52, the former housing the motor, comprising an armature 25 mounted on a shaft 52a and surrounded by a stator 53' having field windings 24, and also including the brake assembly generally designated 54 and comprising a magnetizable brake disk 55 fast on the shaft 52a, the shaft 52a passing through and. being rotatable within a rigidly mounted structure 56 within which the brake coil 111 is mounted. The left hand end of the shaft 52a is journaled within ball bearing 57, and leaf spring 58- extends up against the shaft end 52a and the inner portion of the bearing 57 so as to urge the shaft 52a to the right, movement of the-shaft-in that direction. being limited by engagement between the Washer 59 carried by the shaft and" a thrust bearing- 60 on the structure 56. When the shaft is in this position, the brake disk 55 is spaced from the brake structure 56, as shown in Fig. 3. When, however, the brake coil 111 is energized the disk 55 will be attracted to the left against the structure 56, where it will be frictionally locked in position. When the brake disk 55 thus moves, the entire shaft 52a will move. tothe left, causing. the. leaf. spring 58 to bev distorted'. When. energization of the brake coil 111 is terminated, the spring 58 will cause the shaft 52a; and. the brake disk 55 to resume their normal position shown in Fig; 3.

The second section 51a of the unit 50 houses the transmission and various of the control elements. It comprises a shaft 621 connected? to. shaft 52a by means of clutch 63, the clutch being so arranged that the shafts 52a and 62 are connected for simultaneous rotation in all axial positions of the shaft 52a. The shaft 62 carries a pinion 64 meshing with gear 65, the latter rotating shaft 66' on which worm 67 is mounted, the worm in turn meshing with gear 101 fast on shaft 68 which extends out from the side of the housing part 51a and has crank arm 102' secured thereto. Cam units 26 and 32 are secured to one end of the arm 102 so as to rotate therewith, and switches 69, 70 and 71, having cam-engaging rollers 27, 33 and 40 respectively, are mounted on the exterior of the housing part 61 so as to be selectively engageable by the appropriate earns 26 and 32, as will be set forth more in detail hereinafter, in order to provide the desired control for the system.

The arm 102, rotated by the motor armature 25 inone direction or the other depending upon the direction of rotation of the armature 25, is operatively connected to the door to be opened in any appropriate manner. When two-section swingable doors are employed, as is common in surface transportation vehicles, the arrangement may take the preferred form shown in Figs. 6 and 7'. There one door section formed of foldable parts 103 and 104 is pivotal about vertical shaft 72, while the other door section, formed of parts 105' and 106, is pivotal about vertical shaft 73. The unit 50 is preferably so mounted on the vehicle that its output shaft 68 is positioned midway and in line between the shafts 72 and 73. The ends of arm 102 are pivotally connected to links 74 and 75, which are in turn pivotally connected to crank arms 76 and 77 respectively active on the door parts 103 and 106 respectively. Therefore when the arm 102 is in the position of Fig. 6 the doors will be fully closed, when that arm 102 is rotated in the direction of the arrows 78 the doors will be moved to fully open position, as shown in Fig. 7, and when the arm 102 is thereafter rotated in the direction of the arrows 79 the doors will be once again moved to their fully closed position.

The circuit arrangements employed for controlling the direction and speed of operation of the motor of a given door operating unit are shown in Fig. 1. All of the elements of that figure enclosed within the broken line area 50 form a part of the structural unit shown in Figs. 2-5. The remainder of the system may be located at any appropriate point in the vehicle.

A source of electrical power represented by the battery 1 may be connected by means of ignition switch 4, fuse 5, master power switch 6, and line 3 to the manually operated master control switch 7 adapted to be manipulated by the motorman or conductor. Two leads 12 and 18 extend from the switch 7, that switch being efiective to cause one of the leads 12 or 18 at a time to be energized. These leads extend to appropriate binding posts on terminal panel 80 mounted on the motor housing 50. From there lead 12 is connected to the two movable contacts 13 and 13a of switch 69. The lead 18 is electrically connected to the contacts 19 and 19a of switch 71, and is also connected to the contact 34 of switch 70. Lead 2 extends from the master power switch 6 to the terminal panel 80, from there through the thermostatic circuit breaker 23 to the field coils 24 of the motor, and then back to another binding post on the terminal panel 80, from which lead 81 extends to one side of normally open relay 42 and to one side of normally open relay 21. The other side of relay 42 is connected, by means of leads 82 and 83, to the terminal panel 80 where it is connected to wire 84 which connects with one end of the motor armature 25, the other end of the armature being connected by lead 85 and through the terminal panel 80 and lead 86 to one side of normally open relay 43 and the other side of normally open relay 21. Lead 87 connects lead 82 to one side of the normally open relay 22, the other side of which is connected to the ground lead 14, as is the other side of the relay 43. The relays 42 and 43 are simultaneously operated and are moved to closed position when the coil 31 is energized. The relays 21 and 22 are simultaneously operated and move to closed position when the coil is energized. One end of coil 31 is connected to ground, and the other end is connected, by means of lead 88, terminal panel 89, and lead 90 to the contact 30 of switch 69 adapted to be engaged by the contact 13. One end of the coil 20 is con nected to ground and the other end is connected, by means of lead 91, and the terminal panel 89 to the contact 119 of the switch 71 which is adapted to be engaged by the contact 19. The relays 21, 22, 42 and 43 are so connected that when the relays 21 and 22 are closed, the motor field coils 24 and the armature will be energized so as to cause the motor to rotate in a given direction corresponding to opening movement of the doors. When the relays 42 and 43 are closed, current will flow through the motor armature 25 in the opposite direction, thus causing the motor to rotate in the opposite direction so as to close the doors.

One end of the brake coil 111 is connected to ground through the terminal panel 89, and its other end is connected via lead 28 to the contact 113 of the switch 69 adapted to be engaged by the contact 13a. Lead 92, in conjunction with lead 28, connects said other end of the brake coil 111 to the contact 41 of the switch 71 adapted to be engaged by the contact 19a.

A resistor 39 is connected across the armature 25 by means of lead 93, normally open relay 38 and lead 94. When the relay 38 is closed the presence of the resistor 39 in shunt with the armature 25 will cause the motor to operate more slowly. This resistor 39 is employed to slow down the speed of operation of the motor when the door is being opened and when it is near its fully open position. The energizing coil 37 for the relay 38 has one end connected to ground, the other end being connected through terminal panel 89 and lead 95, with contact 35 of switch 70, adapted to be engaged by contact 34.

A resistor 44 is connected between ground and the upper end of the armature 25. The purpose of this resistor is to cause the motor to rotate at a reduced speed when operating in door-closing direction. The operation of the relays 21, 22, 42 and 43 operatively connect and disconnect the resistor 44 from the circuit, and no special contacts are required for it.

Fig. 1 schematically shows the cams 26 and 32 in conjunction with the cam-engaging rollers 27, 33 and 40 of the switches 69, 70 and 71 respectively. The cam 26 comprises an inclined portion 26a adapted to engage the roller 27 and a lower portion 26b which clears the roller 27. The cam 26a is so positioned that the roller 27 will be engaged by the surface 26a only when the door is fully closed, that is to say, when the cam is in the position shown in l, this causing contacts 13a and 113 to engage and contacts 13 and to disengage. As soon as the door has moved away from its fully closed position, thus causing the cam 26 to move to the right in Fig. l, the roller 27 will be released, contacts 13a and 113 will Separate, and contacts 13 and 30 will engage.

The cam 32, as schematically shown in Fig. 1, comprises a lower portion 320 which clears the rollers 33 and 40 of the switches 70 and 71 respectively, an inclined surface 32a adapted to engage the rollers 33 and 40 and thus move the switches from the position which they assume in Fig. l, and a raised portion 32b adapted to hold the switches in the positions to which they have been moved. When, as is the case in Fig. 1, the door is fully closed, switch 70 will be opened, and in switch 71 contacts 19 and 119 will be engaged, while contacts 19a and 41 will be disengaged. As the door is moved toward its open position, the cam surface 32a will first engage the roller 33 and cause the contacts 34 and 35 of the switch 70 to engage. As the door continues to move toward its open position the roller 33 will ride up on the cam surface 32b, thus holding the switch 70 closed, and then, at some later point, the roller 40 will be engaged by the surface 32a, the contacts 19 and 119 will separate, and the contacts 19a and 41 will engage.

When the master control switch 7 is set for door closing operation, the lead 18 will be de-energized and the lead 12 will be energized. When the door is closed, a circuit can be traced from the battery, through lead 12, contacts 13a and 113, and lead 28 through the brake coil 111 to ground. This is the only live circuit, all of the relays 21, 22, 42, 43 and 38 being in their normally open position. Hence the motor is deenergized and only the brake is energized. This represents but a nominal drain on the battery, when it is realized that only three or four watts are consumed by the brake, whereas energization of the motor to develop an appreciable holding torque would have involved a drain of 35 to 45 watts.

If now it is desired to open the door, the control switch 7 is appropriately manipulated, de-energizing line 12 and energizing line 18. Since line 12 is de-energized, the brake 111 becomes de-energized. A circuit may be traced from the battery, through line 18, contacts 19 and 119, lead 91, through the energizing coil 20 to ground, thus closing the relays 21 and 22. This represents the only live circuit at this point in the operation, since the contacts 13a and 113 are no longer connected to the battery. When the relays 21 and 22 are closed, a .circuit may be traced from the battery via the lead 2 through the motor field coil 24, and then, via lead 81 and closed relay 21, lead 86 and lead to the lower end of the armature 25, through the armature to the upper end thereof, and then, via leads 84, 83 and closed relay 22 to ground. This will cause the motor to rotate in such a direction as to open the door. The resistor 44 is connected between the upper end of the armature 25 and ground, but is short-circuited by the leads 84 and 83 and the relay 22, and therefore does not affect the operation of the motor.

As the door commences to move to open position the cams 26 and 32 will move to the right, and the first effect will be to release the roller 27 of the switch 69, thus causing contacts 13a and 113 to separate and contacts 13 and 30 to engage. However, since the line 12 energizing the contacts 13a and 13 of the switch 69 is no longer connected to the battery, this will have no immediate elfect.

When the door has approached to within a predetermined distance from its fully open position, the cam surface 32a will engage roller 33 and cause the contacts 34 and 35 of switch 70 to engage. Since lead 18 is live, this will complete a circuit from the battery 1 through the contacts 34 and 35, and via the lead through the coil 37 to ground. This energization of the coil 37 will cause the relay 38 to close, thus connecting the resistor 39 across the armature 35, thus causing the motor to rotate at a reduced speed. When the door reaches its fully open position the cam surface 32a will engage the roller 40 and actuate the switch 71 so as to separate the contacts 19 and 119 and engage the contacts 19a and 41. Separation of the first pair of contacts de-energizes the coil 20, the relays 21 and 22 open, and the motor is de-energized. Engagement of the second pair of contacts completes a 75 circuit from the battery 1 through lead 18 and contacts l 9.a.and 41 via, leads 92 ,and. 28 through the. brake. coil 1.11 toground, thus. energizing the brake.v Hence en thetswitch 7 is set'to.op.cn position: and. whenthe. (100 has" reached that'position, the motor is automatically. deenergized andthe holding brake. isautomatically applied.

If now the switch 7 be again set toclosed position line'18. is, derenergized and line121i's-energized. De-energization of line 18 de-energizes thev switches, 70 and, 71. Hence the, brake coil,111 and the relay coil 37 are both de-energized, the motor is; released for rotation, and the relay 38 opens, thus effectively disconnecting the, resistor 39 from the circuit. Energization of the line 12 completes the circuit from thebattery 1 through the. contacts 13 and 30 and via the leads 90 and 88' through the. coil 31 to ground, This energization of; the coil 31 closes. the relays. 42. and 43. When that occurs a circuit is com: pleted from the battery 1 through. the lead 2, the motor field coil 24, lead 81. relay 42, leads: 82, 83 and 84 to the upper end of the armature. 25, through the armature to the lower end thereof, and then, via leads 85 and 86 and relay 43 to ground. It will be noted that the direction of current flow through the field coil24 is the same as when the relays 21 and 22 were closed, but that the direction of current flow through the armature 25 is reversed. Consequently the motor will rotate in the opposite direc: tion. In addition, the resistor 44 isnow connected in parallel with the armature 25, and thus functions to reduce the speed of operation when compared to its normal opening speed. A. separate resistor 44 is employed. for this purpose instead of utilizingresistor 39. because it is usually desired that the closing speed should be, different from the cushioning speed at the end of. the opening movement.

As the door moves to closed position, the earns 26 and 32 will move to the left as viewed in Fig. 1, sequentially releasing the rollers 40 and 33 of the switches 71 and 70 respectively. These switches will therefore assume the position shown, but since the lead 18 has been disconnected from the battery 1, these switches are notenergized and their changing of position will have no effect.

When the door reaches its fully closed position the cam surface 26:: will, engage the roller 27 of the switch 69, thus causing separation of the contacts 13 and 30 and connection of the contacts 13a and 113. Separation of the first set of contacts opens the circuit through the coil 31, the relays 42 and 43 will open, and the motor will be de-energized., Engagement ofthe secondvpair of contacts will complete a. circuit. through the brake coil 111, as previously described, and the door will therefore beheld in, closed position.

Since it is only when, the, brake coil 111 is energized that. any braking effect is applied, it. will. be apparent that upon. power failure or in casev of any other emergency, the doors, are or may readily be released, for manual operation to permitescape from the. vehicle.

The master control switch 7 illustrated in Figs. 8-11 is specifically designed for operation with the, system just described, and for control of a pair of doors, such as a front door and a rear door, so. that the operator may open either or both. of the doors, asconditions. dictate. The switch. is. illustrated as. having five operative positions, representedby' the, letters a, b, c, d and e. of Fig. 11, position c being a neutral position, position d representing a rotation of the operating handle 1.10 45. degrees to the right, position e representing rotation of the handle 11.0 90 degrees. to the right or clockwise, position b representing rotation of the door 110 45 degrees to the left or counterclockwise from position 0, and position a representing rotation of the handle 110 9.0 degrees to the. left from position 0. To. the handle 110 is operatively connected a pair of separated conductive. segments 120 and 130, each of the segments being shaped, as best shown in Fig. 11. Cooperating with those segments are three contact fingers 1.01, 1.02. and 1.03, finger 101 being connected by lead: 3 to the battery 1, finger 103 being conncctedm 8 lead 18. which extendstothe control system of thefront door, and finger 102 being connected. to lead 18a.con:- nected to the control system. of the rear door- The elec* trical structure thus far described describes a first manual switch at. least one element. of which is closed when the switch is in any position other than position 0. Whenthe switch is in position 0 none of the fingers 101, 102 or 103 engage, with either of the conductive segments 120. or 130.. Hence both leads 18. and 18a are de-energized. When the switch is moved to positiond only fingers 101 and 103 are bridged, thus energizing lead 18. When the switch is in position b only fingers 101 and 102 are bridged, thus energizing lead 18a. When the switch is in either of positions a. or e, finger. 101 is connected with both fingers 102. and 103, and hence both leads 18 and 18a. are energized.

A second switching arrangement is also actuated. by the. handle 110,. that switch. comprising a bridging con.- ductive strip 99 which connects lead.3a to lead 12. only whenthe switch is in position 0. In all other positions the connection between leads 3a and 12 is broken. Lead 3a is connected to the positive side of the battery 1 and lead 12 goes to both the front and rear door control systems.

Hence. it. will be appreciated that when the switch is in itsneutral position 0, with leads 18 and 18a de-energized andleads 12v to the control, system of both doors energized, the doors, if open, will close, and if they are closed, their respective brake coils 111 will be energizedto hold them closed, their respective driving motors being de-energized. Ifthe switch ismoved. to any of its. other operativepositions theleads 12 to. both door operating systems will be. de-energized, and one or the other or both of the leads 18 and 18ato the front and rear door operating systems respectively will be energized, thus causing the appropriate door or doors to open if'closed or to remain open if open. The brakes of the respective doors will be energized when the doors are in the positions called for by the switch 7, at which time their respective motors will be de-energized.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a simple, compact. and positively acting door operating unit driven by a reversible electric motor and having an electrically energized brake andv various door-position-sensitive switches as apart thereof. I have further. produced a controlsystem for a unit of that type which. satisfies. the operating requirements specified commercially, which'minimizes power consumption by only energizing the .motor when the position of the door is to be, changed, and which correspondingly increases the operating'life. of the equipment. The system is particularly well adapted to be;utilized inconjunction with the selective control. of a plurality ofdoors, a single switch of novel construction being. employedv to permit the. operator to cause either. or both of. the doors, as desired, to open or close.

While but a single. embodiment of the present invention has. been. here specifically described, it willbe apparent that many variations may be made therein, all within the spirit ofthe. invention as defined in thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1.. In combination, a door. movable betweenopen: and closed positions, anv electriomotor operatively connected to said. door to openthe latter, an electrically controlled brakeoperatively connectedto said door to hold it in. position, a. source of electrical power, means connecting said source to said motor via a pair of contacts having a contact closing means so as, when closed, to operate. said motor to open said door, a first manual switch which, when in door-opening position, connects said source with said contact closing means via a first door position-sensi: tive switch, said first door. positionesensitive switch being closed until actuated by said door and openedwhen said door is. fully open, and a seconddoor position-sensitive switch connected. between saidfirst manual switch and said brake, said second. door-positiomsensitive switch being open until actuated by said door to closed position when said door is fully open, whereby said motor is energized only when moving the door and said brake is energized only when said door is fully open.

2. In the combination of claim 1, a resistor connected to the motor via another normally open pair of contacts having another contact closing means, said contacts, when closed, connecting said resistor to said motor so as to reduce the speed of operation thereof, and a circuit connecting said first manual switch to said other contact closing means and includinganother door position-sensitive switch, said switch being open except when said door is within a predetermined distance of its fully open position.

3. The combination of claim 1, said motor being operatively connected to said door to open and close the latter, in which said first manual switch, when in door-closing position, disconnects said source from said first contact closing means, means connecting said source to said motor via a second pair of contacts having a second contact closing means so as, when closed, to operate said motor to close the door, and a second manual switch which, when in door-closing position, connects said second contact closing means to said source via a third door position-sensitive switch, said third door position-sensitive switch being closed when the door is fully closed but when said door is fully closed, said second manual switch, when in door-closing position, also connecting said source to said brake via a fourth door position-sensitive switch which is open when the door is not fully closed but which is closed when said door is fully closed.

4. The combination of claim 3, in which said first and second manual switches are positively linked for simultaneous operation to door opening and door closing position.

5. The combination of claim 3, in which said first and second door position-sensitive switches comprise a single energizing contact connected to said first manual switch and a pair of energized contacts selectively engageable by said energizing contact and connected respectively to said first contact closing means and said brake, and in which said third and fourth door position-sensitive switches comprise a single energizing contact connected to said second manual switch and a pair of energized contacts selectively engageable by said energizing contact and connected respectively to said second contact closing means and said brake.

6. The combination of claim 1, in which said first and second door position-sensitive switches comprise a single energizing contact connected to said first manual switch and a pair of energized contacts selectively engageable by said energizing contact and connected respectively to said contact first closing means and said brake.

7. In combination, a door movable between open and closed positions, electric driving means operatively connected to said door to open and close the latter, an electrically controlled brake operatively connected to said door to hold it in position, a source of electrical power, first and second simultaneously manually actuated switches, said first switch being closed and said second switch being open when said switches are in door opening position and vice versa when said switches are in door closing position, electrical connections between said source and said driving means including two sets of contacts, one set, when closed, energizing and conditioning said driving means to open said door and the other set, when closed, energizing and conditioning said driving means to close said door, each of said sets having a contact closing coil, a first electrical connection between said source and the contact closing coil of said one set of contacts via said first manual switch and including circuit interrupting means actuated when said door is fully open to interrupt said first electrical connection, a second electrical connection between said source and the contact closing coil of said other set of contacts via said second manual Switch and including circuit interrupting means actuated when said door is fully closed, first and second electrical connections between said source and said brake via said first and second manual-switches respectively, and door-position-sensitive circuit-interrupting means in said source-brake connections effective to condition their respective connections to apply said brake only when said door is fully open or fully closed respectively.

8. In the combination of claim 7, a speed reducing circuit element connected between said driving means and said source via said normally open sets of contacts, said one set of contacts, when closed, shorting out said element and said other sets of contacts, when closed, operatively connecting said element to said driving means, whereby said diiving means is caused to operate at a reduced speed when it is closing said door.

9. In the combination of claim 7, a speed reducing circuit element connected between said driving means and said source via an additional set of contacts having a contact closing means, and electrical connections between said source and said contact closing means via said first manual switch and an additional door-position-sensitive circuit-interrupting means closed by said door when said door is Within a predetermined distance from its fully open position, said element thus being efl'ective to reduce the speed of operation of said driving means when said door is opening and is close to its fully open position.

10. In combimnation, a door movable between open and closed positions, electric driving means operatively connected to said door to open and close the latter, an electrically controlled brake operatively connected to said door to hold it in position, a source of electric power, a first brake circuit connected between said source and said brake via a first manual switch, a second brake circuit connected between said source and said brake via a second manual switch, said switches being interlocked so that when one is open the other is closed, a driving means energizing circuit between said source and said driving means and capable of assuming three conditions to (l) de-energize said driving means, (2) energize it to open said door, or 3) energize it to close said door, an operative connection between said manual switches and said energizing circuit effective to condition said circuit to assume condition (2) when said first switch is closed and condition (3) when said second switch is closed, a pair of door-position-sensitive circuit-interrupting means in said energizing circuit, one in the energizing circuit when that circuit is in condition (2) and closed except when said door is fully open and thus causing said circuit to assume condition (1), the other in the energizing circuit when that circuit is in condition (3) and closed except when said door is fully closed and thus causing said circuit to assume condition (1), and other door-positionsensitive circuit-interrupting means in said first and second brake circuits respectively and open except when said door is respectively fully open or fully closed.

11. In the combination of claim 10, interlocking means between said other circuit interrupting means in said first brake circuit and said one circuit interrupting means in said energizing circuit effective to cause one to close when the other is open, and interlocking means between said other circuit interrupting means in said second brake circuit and said other circuit interrupting means in said energizing circuit effective to cause one to close when the other is open.

12. In combination, a door movable between open and closed positions, an electrically energized driving means operatively connected to said door to open and close the latter, an electrically energized brake operatively connected to said door to hold it in position, a source of electrical power, energizing circuits between said source and said driving means and brake respectively, a manually actuated control member operatively connected to said circuits and movable between door opening and door closing positions, and door-position-sensitive control means operatively connected to said circuits, and inter! locking means. between said control member and. said control means effective when said door is closedandsaid control member is. in door closing position to energize said brake and de-energize said driving means, effective when said door is closed and said control member is in door opening position to de-energize said brake and energize said driving means to open the door, effective when said door is open and said control member is in door opening position to energize said brake and deenergize said driving means, and effective when said door is open and said control member is in door closing position to de-energize said brake and energize said driving means to close said door..

13. In combination, a door movable between first and second positions, an electrically energized driving means operatively connected to saiddoor to move it from first to second position, an electrically energized brake operatively connected to said door to hold it in position, a source of electric power, energizing circuits-between said source and said driving means and brake respectively; a manually actuated control, member operatively connected to said circuits and movable between first and second positions, and door-position-sensitive control means operatively connected to said circuits, and interlockingmeans between said. control member and said control means effective when said door is in its first position and said member is in its first position to energize said brake and tie-energize said driving; means, effective when said door is in its first position and said member is in its second position to de-energize said brake and energize said driving means, and efiective when said door is in its second position and said member is in its secondposition to energize said brake and de-energize said drivingmeans.

14. A door opening and closing system comprising a reversible electric motor operatively connected toa door to open and close the latter, a brake active on said door when energized to hold the door in position, a source of electric power, and operative connections between said source and said motor and brake comprising a manual control member comprising first and second switches connected to said source, one of said switches beingopen when the other is closed andvice versa, third and fourth switches connected respectively to saidfirst and second switches and each of'said'thirdand fourth switches having operative. positions. (a) and (b), said third switch when in ,position.(a) operatively connectingsaid. first switch to said'motor so as to causesaidmotorto rotate to open the door. and when. inv position (1)) operatively connecting said. first switch to said brake, said fourth switch when in position (a) operatively connectingg said second switch to. said motor so asto cause said motor to rotate to close the door and when-in position (5) operatively connecting said second:switch to said brake, and means operatively connecting saidthird and fourth switches to said. door so that said third switchtis in position (a) except when said door is fully open and said fourth switch is imposition (a) except when: said door is fully closed.

15.. The combination of claim 14, in which said motor is operativelyconnected to said door via a gear train, one element of, said; gear train, carrying azcamassembly,, said third and fourth switches being mounted in the path of movement of; said camassembly so as--. tobe actuated thereby.

16. In. thesystemof claim 15,.a speed reducing circuit element connectabletosaidmotor, tov reduce the speedof operation thereof. via a fifth switch operatively connected to said first switch, said fifth switch being normally open butbeing mounted, in the path of said cam assembly so as. to. be closed thereby when said door is within a predetermined distance of' being fully open.

17. In the. system of'claim 14, a speed reducingcircuit element. connectable. to said motor to; reduce the speed of. operationthereofvia. a fifth switch operatively connected to, said first switch, said fifth switch being normally. openhut. operatively connected to said door so' as to be closed. when said door is' within a predetermined distance of being. fully open.

18'. Door moving apparatuscomprising an electric motor having a rotatable shaft axially movable through said motor and resiliently retained in a normal axial position, said. shaft being operatively connected to a door so as tov move, the latter. when said shaft is rotated, a magnetizable rotatable element fast on said shaft, and an electromagnetic brake positioned on the side" of said element. toward. which said shaft moves axially from its normal position and magnetically active on said element so that, when energized, it will move said element and said shaft. away; from. said normal position and. into a brake-held. position, the operative connection between said shaftand'said'dbor being retained in all" axialpositions ofIsaidfshaft;

19. The, apparatus of claim 18, inwhich said shaft freely passes through". a fixed. electromag'net located be"- tween. said. motor and saidelement;

20. The apparatus ofclaim. 19, in which said" shaft, at its end toward which said shaft moves from its" normal position, is mounted in a hearing through which it is axially movable, and. a resilient member operatively connected to said shaft end" to urge said shaft toward its normal position.

21. The apparatus of claim 18; in which said shaft, at its end toward' which said shaft moves from its normal position, is, mounted; in a bearing through which it is axially movable, and a resilient member operatively connected to said" shaft end" tov urge said shaft? toward" its normal position.

References:Cite'dimthefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1926 1,570,304 Hynes Jan. 19,

1,874,483 Forma'n. Aug. 30, 193.2 1,927,559 Talen Sept. 19, 1933 2,000,515 Gross .May 7, 1935 2,095,267 Riverman. et. a1. Oct. 12, 1937 2,186,311 Weathers vJan. 9, 1940 2,319,661 Conway May 18,. 1943 2,366,048 Opalelc Dec. 26, 1944 2,476,111 Opa'lek. July 12, 1949 2,537,269 Harding Jan. 9, 1951 2,559,301 Jones/ July 3, 1951 2,576,816 Wahlberg: Nov. 27, 195.1 2,583,662 Noble Jan. 29, 1952 2,591,693 Gatesy Apr. 8, 1952 2,661,945 Hamilton Dec. 8, 1953 2,737,621 Hamilton Mar. 6, 1956 

